Rotating lip hot gas collector nozzle



Marchzs, 1969 J, E, CARPENTER Em l 3,434,663

ROTATING LIP HOT GAS COLLECTOR NOZZLE Filed sept. 28. 1965 sheet of 2March 25, 1969 J. E, CARPENTER ET AL 3,434,663

ROTATING LIP HOT GAS COLLECTOR NOZZLE Sheet Filed Sept. 28. 1965 my ymmm f ma M V n m 5 r a 7 up i @M United States Patent O 3,434,663ROTATING LIP HOT GAS CGLLECTOR NOZZLE James E. Carpenter, Williamsville,and Richard L. Pleuthner, East Aurora, N.Y., assignors to the UnitedStates of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force FiledSept. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 491,859 Int. Cl. F02k l/24, 11/02 U.S. Cl.Z39-132.3 2 `Claims This invention relates to a nozzle for collecting ahigh temperature, high pressure gas stream.

One object of the invention is to provide a nozzle for collecting a hightemperature, high pressure gas stream which is capable of withstandinghigher temperatures than prior art devices. h

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forcontinuously moving the leading edges of a nozzle immersed in the heatedair iiow in and out of the heated air stream.

These and other objects will be more fully understood from the followingdetailed description taken with the drawing, wherein:

FIG. l is a sectional view of a collector nozzle showing a plan view ofone of the nozzle wheels; and

FIG. 2 is a -full sectional view of the collector nozzle of FIG. 1showing a cross-section of the nozzle wheels.

The nozzle of this invention is for collecting high temperature, highpressure gas such as generated bya Wave Superheater. The WaveSuperheater is a machine consisting of a multiplicity of shock tubesmounted side-byside on the periphery of a rotating drum or rotor. Bymeans of fixed nozzles at the ends f the rotor, these tubes arealternately Charged with pure air and then shockprocessed lby a lowmolecular weight gas. This process compresses the air and heats it tohigh te-mperatures. Each tube discharges the processed air in a cyclicmanner at a fixed station at the end of the rotor. By virtue of themultiplicity of tubes and high rotational speed, the air flow emanatingfrom the Wave Superheater has the characteristics of steady flow and canbe collected in a nozzle and expanded in a supersonic or hypersonic windtunnel.

The collector nozzle used with this device must collect the hightemperature, high pressure lair as it leaves the Wave Superheater. Thenozzle entrance geometry is in the form of a rectangle of heightslightly greater than that of a rotor shock tube. The width depends onthe air stream characteristics but, in general, may be equal to one tothree tube widths. Hence, the top and bottom leading edges or lips aresomewhat displaced out of the air flow whereas the two side leadingedges are completely immersed as only the central portion of the air owis collected.

A Wave Superheater can generate a supersonic air flow having a total airtemperature and pressure in the order of 9,000 degrees R and 200atmospheres, respectively, for periods of 15 to 30 seconds. The leadingedges of the collector side walls, which for aerodyna-mic reasons musthave a very small lip radius (say 0.05 inch), are thus subject toaerodynamic heating rates as high as 16,000 B.t.u./ft.2sec. There is noknown material which can survive such severe heating even when the lipsare internally cooled- It is mainly in the vicinity of the leading edgesthat such high heating rates are manifested. As the air expands in thesupersonic nozzle, the heating rates drop such that internal wallcooling is feasible at a relatively short distance from the leadingedges.

According to this invention, the leading section of the two side wallsof a conventional collector are replaced with rotating discs. As aportion of the disc enters the hot air stream, it receives heat for afraction of a, second,

3,434,663 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 and then moves out of the stream. Uponemergence both inner and outer surfaces are subjected to tine highpressure water sprays to extract heat by convection and evaporation. Thedisc diameter is relatively large compared to the nozzle height so thatthe heating time is a small fraction of the time available for cooling.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 of the drawing which shows a modifiedconventional divergent-convergent nozzle 10 having a divergent member1l2 with a wall 13 having a substantially conical shaped inner surface,a convergent member 14 of conventional shape and a leading section 15.The divergent member 12 and convergent member 14 are cooled in theconventional manner by means of a coolant passed through cooling tubes16 land cooling channel 17. Coolant is also supplied to the channels 19and 20 adjacent the top and bottom Walls 22 and 23 of the nozzle leadingsection 15. The coolant, which may be liquid or gas, is supplied to thetubes 16 and channels 1'7, 19 and 20 in the conventional manner. Theside walls of the leading section of the nozzle are replaced by rotatingwheels 25 and 26, made of copper or other good heat-sink material.Wheels 25 and 26 are driven by any well-known means such as a motorshown schematically at 27 and friction drive (not shown).

Since the wheels 25 and 26 are substantially identical, like referencecharacters will be used for both wheels. These wheels consist of centralhubs 29V supported for rotation by bearings 32 on shafts 34 formed onthe outer surface of divergent member 12. The wheels have annularwedge-shaped nozzle rim members 36 supported on the central hubs 29 bymeans of disc-shaped support members 38. The wedge-shaped membersprovide substantially parallel side walls for the leading section 15.The support member 38 passes between the divergent nozzle member 12 anda cooled wall member 40. The annular wedge-shaped nozzle members 36 arecooled by means of high pressure Water sprays from perforated supplytubes 42 and 43. The water or other coolant is supplied to the tubes 42and 43 in the conventional manner such as input tubes 45 shown connectedto tube 43 in FIG. 1.

In the operation of the nozzle, the topi 22 and bottom 23 are locatedoutside of the high temperature, high pressure gas stream (not shown),so that their heating rate is relatively low and proper cooling can beobtained by coolant flow through channels 19 and 20. The side walls ofthe nozzle are provided by means of `rotating wheels 25 and 26. Thewedge-shaped members 36 of wheels 25 and 26 have a portion thereoflocated adjacent the sides of nozzle leading section 15, and form thesides of the nozzle. The wheels 25 and 26 are continuously rotated tocontinu ously present different portions of the wedge members 36 to thehot gases. As each portion of a wedge member 36 is moved lout of the hotgas stream it is cooled by a high pressure water spray so tha-t the heatis removed from the member 36.

There is thus provided a nozzle for collecting high ternperature, highpressure gases.

While a certain specific embodiment has been described, it is obviousthat numerous changes may be made without departing from the generalprinciple and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a gas collector nozzle having a divergent wall member, means forcooling the said divergent wall member, a convergent wall memberadjacent said divergent wall member, means Ifor cooling said convergentwall member; an apparatus for providing a leading wall section for saidnozzle comprising a pair of spaced fixed wall members attached to saiddivergent wall member; means for providing a pair of movable wallmembers having a portion thereof perpendicular and adjacent to saidiixed E Wall members; means for continuously changing the portions ofsaid movable wall members adjacent to said fixed Wall members and meansfor continuously cooling the portion of said movable Wall mem-bersnonadjacent to said fixed Wall members.

2. In a gas collector nozzle for collecting high-temperature,high-pressure gases, having a divergent Wall member, means for coolingthe said divergent wall member, a convergent Wall member adjacent saiddivergent Wall member, means for cooling said convergent Wall member; anapparatus for providing a leading wall section for said nozzlecomprising two spaced fixed wall members attached to said divergent wallmember; a pair of disc members; means for rotatably supporting said discmembers on said divergent wall member; each of said disc members havinga Wedge-shaped rim member secured thereto with a portion of each of saidrim members being located adjacent said fixed wall members to therebyprovide a pair of movable walls adjacent to said leading wall section;means for continuously moving said wedge rim members past said fixedWall members and means for continuously cooling the portion of said rimmembers nonadjacent to said fixed Wall members.

No references cited.

SAMUEL FEINBERG, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

1. IN A GAS COLLECTOR NOZZLE HAVING A DIVERGENT WALL MEMBER, MEANS FORCOOLING THE SAID DIVERGENT WALL MEMBER, A CONVERGENT WALL MEMBERADJACENT SAID DIVERGENT WALL MEMBER, MEANS FOR COOLING SAID CONVERGENTWALL MEMBER; AN APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A LEADING WALL SECTION FOR SAIDNOZZLE COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED FIXED WALL MEMBERS ATTACHED TO SAIDDIVERGENT WALL MEMBER; MEANS FOR PROVIDING A PAIR OF MOVABLE WALLMEMBERS HAVING A PORTION THEREOF PERPENDICULAR AND ADJACENT TO SAIDFIXED WALL MEMBERS; MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING THE PORTIONS OF SAIDMOVABLE WALL MEMBERS ADJACENT TO SAID FIXED WALL MEMBERS AND MEANS FORCONTINUOUSLY COOLING THE PORTION OF SAID MOVABLE WALL MEMBERSNONADJACENT TO SAID FIXED WALL MEMBERS.